Metallurg returned to the top of the Eastern Conference with an emphatic win at Amur. The defending champion got back on form after back-to-back defeats thanks to a powerful second-period performance against the outsider in Khabarovsk.

Initially, though, it seemed that Magnitka’s recent wobble might continue when Dmitry Kosmachyov put Amur ahead in the 10th minute. Oskar Osala tied the game in the 14th, and it stayed that way until the middle stanza.

But as Amur ran into penalty trouble around the halfway stage, Metallurg took control. Two goals in three minutes from the power play unit saw Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar open up a 3-1 lead. Then, on 35 minutes, Alexander Semin got the goal of the day, outfoxing Jan Kolar before beating Juha Metsola with a shot taken as the forward was already tumbling to the ice.

The third period was a formality, with Denis Kazionov getting a fifth goal for Magnitka to complete a convincing win.

Genoway sinks former club

Jokerit Helsinki 3 Spartak Moscow 2

Charles Genoway got his first taste of KHL action at Spartak last season – but now he has a taste for facing his former club.

When the teams met in Moscow in August the Canadian got an assist on Jokerit’s game-winner; in tonight’s return match in Helsinki he scored twice to seal a victory that lifts the Finns into the playoff places once again.

Genoway opened the scoring on 2:06 but despite the home team having by far the better of the early exchanges, Spartak remained in contention. Even Marko Antilla’s goal to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute did not make the game safe for the host.

Spartak upped its game at the start of the third, capitalizing on some lazy play from the Finns to get a goal back through Alexei Bondarev – but the scorer went on to play a key role in Genoway’s winner. The Spartak man reacted angrily to receiving a holding penalty, picking up a 10-minute misconduct charge in addition to his minor. During that power play Genoway fired home his second of the night, and Bondarev’s response was yet more furious. He was ejected from the game, and Spartak had a mountain to climb.

It made a brave attempt: Ryan Stoa converted a power play with three minutes left, but Jokerit held on to take all three points.

Lively start, lively finish

Kunlun Red Star 2 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3

It was worth taking your seat early and staying to the end of Traktor’s victory in Shanghai.

Latecomers to the arena risked missing out on a breathless opening as the teams traded goals in the second minute. Kirill Koltsov put Traktor in front before Linus Videll tied it up exactly 32 seconds later.

In the second period Nikolai Belov got his first of the night in the 25th minute. The defenseman led a break-out from center ice and opted to shoot himself rather than feed a partner; the decision paid off as he fired over Andrei Makarov’s shoulder.

But there was another goal flurry late on after Belov made it 3-1 in the 57th minute. Max Warn got one back for Kunlun almost immediately, but the Chinese team could not salvage anything from the game.

Trakor picked up its second win in three games, having previously lost five in a row

Around the league

3-2 was the scoreline of the day, with six out of the seven games finishing that way – three of them after shoot-outs.

The first of them came in Vladivostok, where Salavat Yulaev edged Admiral. Maxim Mayorov got the post-game winner, but only after his team let slip a 2-0 lead. Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev and Mikhail Fisenko turned it around for the Sailors after Igor Makarov and Denis Bodrov gave the visitor the early initiative.

HC Sochi also took a victory after a 2-2 tie, but in this game the visitor needed a last-gasp equalizer at Dinamo Riga. Mikhail Mamkin tied it up with 55 seconds left, cancelling out Tim Sestito’s effort, before Yegor Morozov added a shoot-out winner to his third-minute opener.

There was yet another shoot-out in Minsk, where Dinamo edged Torpedo after their 2-2 tie. Matt Ellison settled the issue, but Torpedo could feel a little aggrieved not to get more from a sensational late fight back. The game seemed all but over when Ellison put Dinamo 2-0 up in the 57th minute, but Alexei Potapov and Denis Shurakov made the most of the little remaining time to haul their team level.

The day’s final game in Bratislava also delivered a 3-2 scoreline, but this time in regulation. The host had to recovered a 0-2 deficit against Lada before edging the verdict on Kyle Chipchura’s goal 47th-minute goal. Maxim Rybin and Vasily Streltsov gave Lada a first-period advantage, but Nick Plastino scored twice in the second to tie it up.

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KHL.ru is the official Web site of the Kontinental Hockey League. All KHL logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the KHL and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of KHL, ltd